Ten Double Zero
by AlexKost
Summary: -This is a sequel to my other Fanfict, “Undercover”.- An NYPD officer is murdered, and the CSI team must find the killer while learning more about the officer who they knew, but didn't know much about.
1. Chapter 1

**Before you start, I have to warn you that I feel really bad about doing this, but it was the only logical next step. Don't hate me.**

**- - -**

**Six Months After the Events of "Undercover"**

…**Fifteen Minutes After the Officer Down Call**

CSI Stella Bonasera stopped her car near the crime scene tape that blocked off a small street. She had responded to the officer down call, and those were the calls that every law officer dreaded. The thing that scared her, however, was what she saw _outside _of the tape. Homicide detectives Jessica Angell and Don Flack were standing by a small brick wall just outside of the yellow band. Angell looked ill.

That wasn't a good sign.

As Stella walked towards the two, she noticed that Flack looked upset as well.

That wasn't a good sign, either.

As Stella got closer, Angell, looking very frustrated, kicked the brick wall nearby. It was out of character for the usually cool-headed female detective, and a cold sense of foreboding washed over Stella. Flack grabbed his partner's shoulders, pulling her away and making her look at him.

"We'll get the son of a bitch, you know that."

Her voice unusually hostile for talking to Flack, Angell replied, "She saved our lives, Don, and we can do _nothing_ for hers!"

"I know, Jess. I _know_." Flack sighed, releasing Angell and running a hand through his hair, clearly agitated.

Her dread deepening, Stella stopped in front of them. "Who is it?"

Angell just closed her eyes and shook her head. Flack jerked his head in the direction of the tape.

Stella ducked under the bright yellow wrappings and approached the body. When she got close enough to identify the victim, her dread intensified to pure horror.

Andrea "AJ" Blaine, the sixteen-year-old undercover detective that had helped the New York Crime Lab on a case nearly six months ago, was lying on the ground. Her blue eyes stared at nothing, and her blonde hair was streaked with blood from the bullet wound in her head. In a slice of macabre fascination, Stella noticed that the teen's blue jacket and black shirt lay perfectly, revealing her service weapon and her badge, gleaming in the rising orange sunlight that only seemed to appear in the suburbs of New York.

Stella heard footsteps behind her, and a whispered voice muttered, "Damn…"

Fellow CSI Dr. Sheldon Hawkes was standing there, looking startled. While he hadn't had direct contact with the girl during the Cobra incident, Hawkes still knew what she had risked to save CSI Lindsay Monroe. Hawkes looked at Stella. "Angell and Flack wouldn't tell me who it was."

Stella gave a sad nod. "They both owe her their lives."

"She shot the guy that was going to kill them, right?"

"Yes. Of course, AJ never seemed to think that they owed her anything, but you know them- they're proud of their job and don't like being made helpless in any sense of the word." Stella gave a small laugh. "I guess it doesn't matter now, does it?" She looked down.

"That's why we need to solve this one, Stell." Hawkes knelt next to the body. The former ME was very helpful when it came to on-the-spot preliminary CODs. "One shot to the head… no defensive wounds… I'd say she was killed about an hour ago."

"The question is, how does a trained and armed cop get murdered without even drawing their weapon?"

- - -

When Danny Messer walked into the crime lab, the first person he saw was Lindsay Monroe. The CSI was sorting through files for a recent case, absentmindedly muttering under her breath as she read the many pieces of paper. She already seemed a little cranky, which made what Danny had to tell her all the harder. Stella had called him from the most recent crime scene, the officer down call, and sadly informed him that the victim was none other than AJ Blaine, who had been part of the main reason that Lindsay was still alive after being kidnapped by a drug gang six months prior. Lindsay had had the most contact with the teen when they were both being held captive, and her life had almost been taken if it weren't for some quick thinking on AJ's part.

Lindsay looked up from her folder and flashed him a smile. Danny couldn't help but grin back, despite the fact that he knew she wouldn't be smiling soon. He let his smile fade. Lindsay noticed, and tilted her head inquisitively. "What's wrong?"

Danny sighed. _Here comes the fun part…_ he thought, bracing himself. "Lindsay…" He paused, and saw that Lindsay now looked worried. "AJ Blaine is dead."

Lindsay just stared at him for a long moment, her mouth slightly open. "What?" she whispered. "How?"

"She was murdered."

"She was only _sixteen_, Danny…"

Danny just nodded. Lindsay leaned against the lab table, her head bowed. "What can we do?"

Danny put his hand on her shoulder. "We catch the bastard that did it."

- - -

Mac Taylor was used to seeing Brigham Sinclair angry. In fact, everything that he could blame on the crime lab made him almost gleefully angry, if that was even possible, ever since Mac had essentially blackmailed him into dropping the internal investigation into Mac for possibly pushing a suspect off of a roof. Today, though, his vengeful attitude wasn't directed at Mac.

"This case is _important_, Taylor. This is one of our own. Not only is it one of our own, this girl was sixteen. She had talent that a lot of veterans don't even have. She would have made a fantastic homicide detective. I want the perpetrator as soon as humanly possible, and I swear that if you screw this up-"

"Chief, I knew AJ Blaine. She worked with my team during the Cobra incident. You don't need to tell me how important it is that we find her killer."

"You'd better know, Taylor. You'd better know."

- - -

"You know, I bet Tiger did this," Angell muttered. She was standing off to the side watching Stella and Hawkes process the scene.

Stella glanced up at her. "Hm?"

"AJ warned us that he'd be back, remember? She said that he didn't like to lose."

"I suppose that, if this does have anything to do with Cobra, he'd be our first suspect. That doesn't mean that it _has_ to be him, though."

"We should talk to Garin," Flack, standing next to Angell, said. Keith Garin was the former leader of Cobra, now in prison for a lengthy number of charges. "He might know something."

Stella nodded. "That might be a good idea." She noticed that Angell had suddenly tensed. "Jess?"

Angell looked between Stella and Flack. "I just remembered the other thing that AJ said." She looked at Flack. "That Tiger would be coming after us next."

**- - -**

**Sorry that most of the chapter was a repetitive "we need to catch the killer" monologue. I wanted to establish where everyone was, and the fact that Angell and Flack are very very unhappy by this turn of events. Which, I'm sure, at least a couple of you are, too. Someone had to die, and it had to be either AJ, Angell, or Flack. Side characters are, unfortunately, at the bottom of my priority list. And, yes, she is definitely dead. Don't start messaging me with how "cruel" I am for killing a sixteen-year-old. CSI has killed people younger than that before. If you aren't happy about it, I'm sorry, but that's just how this has to be.**


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for not hating my guts, guys

**Thanks for not hating my guts, guys. I appreciate it.**

- - -

Stella walked towards the morgue with a heavy heart. People she'd known had died before, but this just felt different somehow. When she approached the doors to the autopsy room, she saw a young woman standing by the doors. The woman looked to be in her early twenties. She had long, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to be almost cobalt in color. It struck Stella that the girl looked like an older version of AJ Blaine. With that realization, she knew exactly who this woman was. The woman glanced up, hearing the footsteps.

Stella gave her a kind smile. "Hello. I'm Detective Stella Bonasera." She held out her hand, and the woman shook it.

"Jennifer Blaine." Tears glittered in her cobalt eyes. "I suppose you know why I'm here."

She was surprisingly composed for any family member in this end of the building. "Yes, I'm afraid I do."

"It's funny; AJ always said that I didn't need to worry about her. But what are older siblings for?" Jennifer sighed. "My parents and my little brother are coming down from Boston."

"Were they on vacation?"

The girl shook her head. "I go to college here in New York. AJ moved down here with me. She never told me why. Then she got involved with that undercover operation. I'd never seen her so into something, you know? Our parents weren't happy at first, but when they noticed the change in her they let it go."

"How did your sister get involved with the operation, anyway?"

Jennifer gave a weak laugh. "She got this whole stream of evidence against a drug dealer in her high school. When she brought it to the cops, they were impressed to say the least. They were suspicious of a drug gang operating in another high school, and inserted her into the school under a different name. I guess it worked in the end."

Stella nodded and said, uncomfortably, "I need to continue my work. I'm, uh, working on your sister's murder investigation."

Jennifer nodded, and Stella started to walk past her.

"Detective Bonasera?"

"Yes?"

"Someone AJ trusted did this."

Stella turned. "Why do you say that?"

"AJ was good at her job. She wouldn't let anyone sneak up on her. The only person that would get close enough to kill her would be someone she trusted."

Stella gave her a small smile. "We'll find the killer. I promise you."

Jennifer's face was cold. "I hope he gets what he deserves."

Stella, sensing danger, asked, "And what does he deserve?"

"Death." Jennifer Blaine turned and walked away from Stella and the morgue without another word.

- - -

"Well, Sid?" Stella asked softly as she entered the morgue. "What do you have for me?"

Medical examiner Sid Hammerback looked up at her entrance. "I have a bullet, which is a good thing. Not much else I can tell you, unfortunately. No defensive wounds, tox didn't show anything abnormal… if it wasn't for the fact that she's dead I'd say that she's healthy." Sid sighed. "She would have made a good cop, you said?"

Stella nodded. "She already _was_ a good cop."

"She should have ended up where you stand instead of where she is now…" Sid shook his head and handed her a container holding a bullet.

"Thanks, Sid. Let's see if we can get anything off of it, huh?"

- - -

Lindsay walked into ballistics, approaching Stella, who was staring at a bullet. "Hey, Stell, did you get anything?"

Stella gave a grim nod. "I ran the bullet and it came back to a service weapon registered to Officer Michael Lewis."

Lindsay let out a soft breath. "Tiger. How is he still in the system? I thought he wasn't registered as a cop any more."

"The gun was listed as stolen before Lewis left the NYPD. They kept it in the database in case it showed up. Not that it would've helped find the thief, but whatever."

"It's a bit circumstantial, but given who he is? We'd get him for AJ's murder easily."

"That may be the easy part, but the hard part is finding him in the first place. He's a wanted criminal; he's not going to be in the phonebook."

Lindsay sighed. "You're right, I know. If he's been on the run for six months, how do we find him now?"

- - -

Danny Messer was frustrated. And, from the looks of Jessica Angell, so was she. They had been assigned to a homicide other than AJ Blaine's. Angell, looking rather sulky, was standing next the Mac, who had ended up in charge of this murder.

"Mac, what's the deal? AJ should be the priority right now."

"Danny, I know you want to help Lindsay, Stella, and Hawkes, but crime scenes don't wait."

Angell seemed to take this as an argument for whatever case she was planning in her head, as she nodded and ducked under the tape, heading towards the first responder, who was standing next to the body of a white male. She stopped dead a few feet away, staring at the man's face. Her expression was one of shock.

"Angell?" Mac walked over to her, Danny close behind him. "What's wrong?"

"It's just… The vic… I…"

Danny had never seen the homicide detective stammer before. Something about the victim was clearly bothering her. "What is it? Do you know him?"

"Yeah." Angell gave a small laugh. "It's Michael Lewis."

"Isn't that-?"

Angell nodded at Mac's half-question. "Tiger."

**- - -**

**You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?**

**By the way, if you were wondering, I totally named AJ's sister "Jennifer" because of Angell's original name. I am not ashamed to admit it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is going to be pretty short, but I needed to add something to ensure you all that I haven't forgotten about this story. I've had about three massive computer malfunctions, two of which led to computer crashes, plus I have Chemistry Honors and Human Biology Honors right after one another in school right now, which caused plenty of homework to pile up. I apologize for my apparent lack of care.**

**- - -**

"These cases have to be connected," Stella concluded, leaning on an evidence table on which pictures from the crime scenes of AJ Blaine and Michael Lewis sat.

"I have to agree," Mac replied, studying a picture of Lewis's body. "This is too much of a coincidence. They had to have died within hours of each other." He looked around the table at Hawkes, Stella, Lindsay, Danny, Angell, and Flack. "Do we have anything solidly connecting them, just to be sure?"

"We're still waiting on the bullets and autopsy report from Sid," Hawkes answered, "But the fact that the guy were looking for in a murder winds up murdered pretty much makes these cases connected."

"I agree." Sid Hammerback walked into the room carrying an evidence container holding two bullets. "However, I don't think you can peg Michael Lewis for AJ Blaine's murder."

"Why is that?" Stella asked.

Sid handed her the bullets and answered, "Michael Lewis was killed close to two hours before AJ Blaine."

"Two hours before? He couldn't have killed AJ. It would be impossible." Lindsay looked troubled by the development. "Is this about Cobra or not? It's possible that Michael Lewis was killed so that he could be framed for AJ's murder."

"It's possible, but I have to say that this is most likely about Cobra." Sid laid another photo on the table. "This was carved down Michael Lewis's right arm."

From the shoulder down to the wrist, the words "THE FOX NEVER MISSES" were carved into Lewis's skin. In smaller lettering after the phrase, there was a small dash mark and the word "Cobra".

""The Fox"? I don't remember that code name being on AJ's list of Cobra members."

Stella nodded at Mac's words. "It wasn't." She paused. "What if this "Fox" was someone that AJ never knew was involved? What if he or she wanted to get rid of anyone that could possibly ID them as being a part of Cobra?"

"If that's true," Lindsay murmured, "We still have a member of Cobra to take down. And we have nothing on them."

- - -

Jessica Angell was standing at the AJ Blaine crime scene, looking frustrated. "How can we have nothing?" she muttered quietly.

"We don't have _nothing_," Don Flack answered, appearing at her shoulder.

Angell sighed. "Are you following me, Don?"

"Maybe, maybe not. AJ said that the two of us were targets."

"Tiger is dead. Who's going to come after us?"

"Come on, Jess. You know as well as I do that as long as Cobra still exists, that threat still exists."

"So, what, you're protecting me even though you need protection too? That's a weird conundrum, Don."

Flack put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "Hey, we'd be protecting each other. Saves anyone else the trouble of following us around all day. We'd just follow each other around."

"If that was another one of your lines, Don, I swear to God I'll shoot you."

Flack grinned. "You know I have no game. Come on, we should go back to see what the lab rats have dug up."

- - -

"I've confirmed that the murders are connected, Mac," Hawkes announced as he entered the boss's office. "The bullets that killed Michael Lewis matched the one that killed AJ Blaine."

"Which matches a gun previously owned by Michael Lewis, right?"

"Right. So I'm thinking that Michael Lewis reported his gun missing so that when he left the job he'd be able to keep it. A gun that can't technically be connected to a registered owner is helpful when you're in a drug gang."

"Somebody killed Michael Lewis, a wanted criminal, with his own gun, and then killed a detective with that gun, presumably to make it look like Lewis killed her."

"It looks that way. And there are a lot of questions that stem from that."

"For now, let's focus on this: How did the killer know where to find Michael Lewis?"


	4. Chapter 4

Mac paced back and forth in his office, staring down at a folder. He looked edgy, and glanced hastily up as Stella walked into the room. "What's up?" he asked immediately.

"There was trace on AJ's badge. Cocaine. The black band on her shield was covered in it."

Mac paused. "Only the band?"

Stella nodded. "Yes, and I asked AJ's sister, Jen, if she had seen a band like that before, and she said that her sister's was still in their apartment. The band wasn't hers, Mac."

"So, what, a message?"

"I'm thinking guilt." Stella waved a hand as Mac started to speak, and continued. "Hear me out. The bands are used as a sort of remembrance for a fallen officer, right? So covering the badge would sort of be like honoring her death."

"Yeah, but Stella, AJ was killed by one shot to the head, no defensive wounds, no signs of struggle. Who kills someone, premeditated, in cold blood, and then feels bad about it?"

Stella shrugged. "I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that the mixture used to make the coke is the same mixture used previously in Cobra, but it's not from the same batch."

"Which means that it's almost definitely someone from Cobra, right?"

"Yes, but I can't see Lewis holding on to that black band. I think another cop is in on this, Mac."

- - -

Hawkes jogged to catch up with Stella, who was quickly walking through the lab. "I have a list of officers involved in the Cobra case from Lieutenant Russell, Detective Blaine's superior. Two officers on that list were named in an investigation into the department as possible Cobra members."

"Tell me you have names."

Hawkes, smiling, nodded. "Shall we talk to our possible suspects?"

- - -

Officer Josh Brewster was the silent type. His green eyes stared away from Stella, and as he ran a hand through his dark hair, he shifted slightly in his seat. "What is this about?"

"Detective AJ Blaine."

"Blaine? Could've been a good cop, if she would've just grown up. Sometimes I swore she was panicking over nothing."

"AJ was a good kid," Detective Emily Gage said to Hawkes, her brown eyes staring forwards and her black hair immaculate. "She already was a good cop. She had a few problems with Josh, though."

"Officer Brewster?"

"Yeah. She swore she was being followed by someone. Every time she'd mention it, Josh would insist that she was just being a jumpy kid. I don't think Josh liked that AJ's honorary title was a higher rank than his. Technically, AJ wasn't a cop. You have to be at least eighteen to go to the Academy. AJ's title was more honorary. The police department internally saw her as one of them, but externally she was just a kid helping out in a drug investigation."

"The kid didn't have enemies that she had to worry about, no matter what her "gut" said," Brewster said dismissively.

"Obviously not," Stella replied coldly. "I can't think of any friends that would shoot me in the head."

"Look, Detective Bonasera, if anything I'd bet that kid got too far into Cobra. She probably double-dealed on them."

"Are you accusing AJ of being an actual member of Cobra?"

"All I'm saying, Detective, is that I'd bet that AJ Blaine is not as clean as you think she is."

- - -

Stella sat down with Jennifer Blaine in an interview room. "Jen, I want to ask you a few questions about your sister."

Jen gave an absentminded nod. She glanced outside the window and saw a blond-haired boy no older than twelve standing miserably in the corner. A brown-haired man and a blonde-haired woman were sitting on seats next to him, both looking stunned.

"My brother and parents," Jen said quietly. She gave a mirthless laugh. "Gabriel hasn't been good since he heard the news. I don't think he fully accepts it yet." She looked at Stella, her blue eyes watery. "How can you expect an eleven-year-old to accept that his sister isn't coming back?"

Stella gave the girl a supportive smile. "Jen… is there any way that AJ was involved in Cobra?"

The young woman seemed to immediately get the implication. "My sister didn't run drugs for profit, Detective. She was home on time, always, unless she had something important to do for the NYPD. AJ wasn't the type of kid to fall into the hole that the rest of the unit did."


	5. Chapter 5

**Nope, can't find any excuses for this one. School? SATs? Canon!Squee? **

Former Lieutenant Keith Garin still had an arrogant atmosphere around him, despite the orange prison outfit. He gave a bored smile as Danny and Flack walked into the interview room. "To what do I owe the pleasure, detectives?"

"AJ Blaine is dead," Danny answered harshly, looking annoyed to be in the man's presence.

"Oh, good. I didn't know I was getting an invitation to a party."

"You son of a bitch. A kid is _dead_, and that amuses you?" Flack stared at Garin, barely-held contempt flashing in his eyes.

"Of course it amuses me. She's the reason I'm here, is she not? Or, should I say, _was_."

"She was a cop."

"She was a _fraud_, Detective Flack. She had a gun and a badge, but neither meant anything. She was just a kid in too far over her head, and she was going to pay the price whether by my hand or another's."

"You think it's funny? You led that kid into this. Lieutenant Russell told us that you came up with the idea to let her help. You _baited_ her. Why?"

"Detective Messer, the only reason you hate me is because I kidnapped your girlfriend."

Danny shifted, looking furious. "You think you're smart, but you're not. You got caught. You got caught by a sixteen-year-old girl."

"What's the matter, Keith? Annoyed by the truth? The big bad snake got himself locked up while at least two of his guys are still out walking around." Flack put his hands on the table, leaning towards Garin with his voice softening. "I bet it pissed you off that AJ got you and Michael Lewis got away."

"Changing tactics, are we? Trying to get me to slip by saying that I knew something about Blaine's… misfortune?" Garin leaned back in his chair. "To answer your question, Detective Messer, I brought Blaine in before I myself was a part of Cobra. As for yours, Detective Flack… what does Michael Lewis have to do with anything?"

"He's dead. He was killed by the same gun that killed Detective Blaine, and that sort of makes me believe that Cobra had something to do with it," Danny answered.

"Well, I assure you I did not. See the handcuffs?"

"Not _you_! Your _gang_!" Flack snarled.

"Touchy, aren't you? Do you really think I was alone in that operation? There are plenty of other people."

"Yeah, we got that. The "Fox", right?"

Garin's smile vanished instantly as he looked at Danny. "How do you know that name?"

"Because it was written in your underling's arm." Danny tossed a picture of the carving on Lewis's arm onto the table.

Garin picked up the picture, staring at it. He started to laugh. "If the Fox has revealed himself… you're in for a rude awakening, detectives. He doesn't usually play nice."

"Who is he?" Flack asked.

"The Fox is not a singular person. It is a group of members of Cobra that are particularly good at cleaning up when things get out of hand. I don't know their names. They are above me."

"In your own gang?" Danny asked incredulously.

"Cobra is _not_ my gang, Detective. I was merely the face of it. It is much, much bigger than me." Garin's brazen smile returned. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be returned to my cell."

"If I find out that you had anything to do with this, Garin, you won't have that smile on the next time we meet," Flack muttered as he motioned for the guard.

- - -

Stella ducked under the crime scene tape surrounding the body of Josef David. The prison guards were keeping a group of inmates back. One of the guards, whose nametag identified him as Officer Wilson, walked up to Stella.

"Josef David. There was a disturbance in the corner on the other side of the room. The guards went to calm it down, and by the time they got back over here, David was on the floor with a slashed throat. No one saw who did it, or at least no one wants to say."

"Well, this is certainly suspicious."

"Why is that, Detective? These people get into fights all of the time. It's only naturally that one of them was going to get killed."

"David was part of a gang run by Keith Garin. We were questioning Garin earlier today about the death of one of his members, as well as the death of the person that got him caught."

"Do you think these cases are connected?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

- - -

Stella sat down in a chair in Mac's office.

"Let me get this straight. Two confirmed Cobra members are dead within twenty-four hours."

Stella sighed. "Yes. It has me thinking about what Garin said about the Fox."

"Cleaning things up when they get out of hand."

"Yeah."

"Why _six months_ after Garin was arrested, though?"

Stella shrugged as Sid walked into office. He had finished David's autopsy. "Josef David's death was pretty straightforward. One slash through the neck cut his carotid artery. Nothing very interesting, though. There was one relatively interesting thing on his left shoulder." He showed them a picture of a blue tattoo. "It's the Chinese symbol that means "fox". I don't know if it's signi-"

"Fox?" Mac interrupted.

"Yes," Sid responded, looking confused.

Stella took the photo, staring at it. She looked as though she had just realized something. Hawkes walked into the room, noticing the look. "What's up?"

Stella shook her head slightly. "This symbol… I think Detective Gage had a ring with this symbol on it."

Hawkes blinked. "Officer Brewster had the same thing."

"Weren't they cleared from suspicion?" Stella asked.

Mac nodded. "Lieutenant Russell cleared them almost as soon as they were named as possible suspects."

"We should ask him why he did," Stella murmured.

"Danny!" Mac yelled to the CSI, who was walking past. He turned into the office.

"What's up, Mac?"

"Call Flack, tell him to get Lieutenant Russell in here."

Danny was silent for a minute. "Flack and Angell just went with Russell. He said that he found an abandoned building that Cobra was using, and he wanted them to be a part of the raid."

Stella, Mac, and Hawkes exchanged looks. Mac got to his feet. "Did you get an address?"

"No," Danny replied, confused. "They just went with him. What's going on?"

Stella looked at Mac. "Flack and Angell."

Mac nodded. "They must be next on the list."

"What list?" Danny was starting to get that something was wrong, but still looked puzzled.

Mac put his jacket on. "The list of loose ends."


	6. Chapter 6

**I love putting these two in danger, don't I? It's not **_**my**_** fault Cobra doesn't give up its grudges easily. *laughs***

Flack finished velcroing his bulletproof vest, staring at the abandoned building. "You sure about this, Russell?"

"Of course I'm sure. AJ was good at her job. If you don't believe me, at least believe her."

"Yeah, I'd believe _her_, but I can't ask her, can I?" Flack muttered so that only Angell could hear.

His fellow detective shot him a smile, the first real one she'd given since Blaine had been killed. An NYPD police car pulled to a stop next to Russell's black Explorer, and two cops got out. The both fell in behind Russell, already wearing vests.

"Detective Flack, Detective Angell, this is Detecitve Gage." Russell gestured to the female cop beside him. "And Officer Brewster." The male cop to Russell's left gave a small nod.

"Just the five of us?" Flack asked hesitantly.

"There's only one entrance, Detective Flack. And besides, there shouldn't be more than a few people inside."

"Okay then." Flack exchanged a glance with Angell, who looked similarly cautious about the situation.

"Come on." Russell led the group towards the door of the building.

- - -

"Have you tried Flack's cell phone?" Mac asked Danny as he paced in one of the labs.

The CSI nodded. "He didn't answer."

"What about Angell?"

Stella shook her head. "Nothing." She looked at Lindsay, who was sitting at a computer. "Have you tried triangulating where they are?"

Lindsay typed on the keyboard. She stared at the screen for a minute. "Both phones are on at the same location… 28 Sunnycreek Court."

"That's got to be the building."

"Hold on, Mac," Stella warned, hesitating.

"What?"

"Remember last time we tried the cell phone trick? It was a trap."

"I know that, Stella, but we don't have time to worry about it. We don't know who all is involved in this thing, and any second we wait could end up in the deaths of both of them."

Stella smiled lightly. "I was going to say "we need to be careful", but I'm glad you agree."

Mac gave one of his rare smiles as he headed out the door. "Danny, you're with us. Hawkes, Lindsay, get someone that doesn't have a target or a Cobra tattoo on their back to meet us there, please."

- - -

Flack and Angell followed Russell, Brewster, and Gage into the building. It was almost entirely empty except for two men and one woman. Before Flack or Angell could even aim correctly, the three people, Russell, and Gage turned their guns on Flack, Angell, and Brewster. All motion stopped.

"Russell, what the hell is going on?" Flack demanded.

"Loose ends, detective. Loose ends." Russell turned to the men and woman. "Goat, Boar, Deer, disarm them."

The man Russell had identified as "Boar", a bulky man with dark skin and hair, took Flack's gun from his hand. "Who comes up with these nicknames?" the detective asked.

"I just pick random animals," Russell confessed. "They can change them if they really want. Most just go with whatever I assign."

"Why would you be a part of Cobra?" Angell asked, seemingly the only one thinking of the fact that they were being held at gunpoint. "You helped stop it, didn't you?"

"I needed a scapegoat," Russell said. He looked at other man and added, "No pun intended."

"So Cobra was just someone to turn in?"

Russell nodded at Flack's question. "Well, quite honestly, yes. Besides, Keith Garin is safer in prison."

"Josef David wasn't."

Flack looked at Angell. He had forgotten that the former Cobra member had been killed.

Boar laughed. "That's only because I killed him. I gave one of the life-without-paroles an opportunity to get at the guy that snitched on him in order to create a diversion while I stabbed him inmate-style. I'm a guard; it was easy."

"Emily, what exactly are you doing?" Brewster asked, looking stunned.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, Josh. You should stop talking," Gage answered stiffly.

Brewster stepped forward, looking annoyed. "You're supposed to be _catching_ the bad guys, not _being_ one!"

Gage hesitated. Russell pushed Brewster back, interrupting the conversation he seemed to be annoyed by. "Here's what's going to happen, good cops." He pointed at Brewster. "You are coming with us." Russell turned to Flack and Angell. "As for you two…" He smirked. "I'm sure I'll be able to find something to do with you."

- - -

Stella waited, gun in hand, as the three SWAT officers in front of her knocked in the door to the abandoned building. She followed them in, but as she moved she noticed that waiting inside was not what she had expected to find.

Flack and Angell were in chairs, back to back, their hands awkwardly handcuffed together between them. They looked a combination of bored and annoyed as SWAT cleared the building. Stella walked over to them, trying in vain to stop the smile forming on her lips. Angell glared at her.

"I don't see what you find so funny," the detective muttered.

"You're handcuffed to Flack, and you don't know what I'm laughing at?" Stella forced her smile away. "Are you guys okay?"

"I'd be better if Messer wasn't making handcuff jokes in his head," Flack answered, turning his head to see Stella out of the corner of his eye.

Stella glanced back and noticed that Danny, who had come in behind her, looked like Christmas had come early when it came to how he was going to tease Flack for the rest of the week, if not the rest of the month.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Don," Danny replied. The attempt at seriousness was thwarted by the blatant laughter in his voice.

"Shut up and uncuff us, would you?" Flack looked as if he was trying very hard not to laugh at Danny's laughter.

Stella took out a cuff key. "You're lucky that we have a few murders to solve," she teased as she released the two detectives. They both stood up rather quickly. "Speaking of which, what happened?"

"We got here with Russell and two more cops showed up," Flack began. "Detective Gage and Officer Brewster. We go in and there are only three people inside, but before Jess or I know what's happening, those people along with Gage and Russell aim their guns at us."

"What about Brewster?" Stella asked.

Angell shook her head. "Gage took his gun. He was as much of a hostage as we were."

"They didn't really say much. We were a distraction, apparently," Flack continued. "They took Brewster and left about fifteen minutes before you guys got here."


End file.
